The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-27

began to sing at once, every day little
more, every day treating us to prettier
songs than before. After two or three
months had passed over his head he be-
gan to astonish us and everybody with
his exquisite wild notes and his fresh i'm
itations, for you know, children, that these
birds are called hooking birds because
they mimic or mock every sound they
hear. There was nothing, from the new
ing of cats, the barking Of dogs, braying
of donkeys, neighing of horses, and other
noises, down to the cry or crow of baby,
or human laughter, but what Jim could
initiate, and well, too. 1t would have
made you all laugh to hear him. But
besides these funny limitations, Jim could
pour forth from his plain gray throat a
food of long, enhancing melody that I
have never heard equalled, and as he was
a loud, brilliant and joyous singer, not
in the least shy, he could be heard, when
we took him back to the city, after the
intense heat and the fatal fever season
were over, far down the hill and far up
the hill and "across the hills and far
away" And everywhere around our re-
gion people would say, "There goes little
Ruth Mayfeld's wonderful bird Jim,
singing away to his hearts content"
In my few leisure hours l had tried to
cultivate Jim's voice, too, and with such
marked success that he could whistle
"The Star.Spangled Banner" correctly
and clearly when he chose. He did not
always choose, though, and sometimes
when we most wanted him to "show off,"
no coaxing or persuasion would induce
him to whistle it. He was like some lit
tie boys and girls that you and know OF,
wasn't he2 / believe that if my wife or I
had had the time, or if Ruth, who possess
ed perfect ear for music, had been old
enough to teach him, Jim could have
been taught to whistle any tune. You
know, though, that to train any pet re-
quires unwearying patience and time at
ones command.
Altogether, Jim was marvel, and he
was SO tame and had such an affectionate
disposition, united with his many accom-
plishments, that we all grew much at
tached to him, especially Ruth. She was
very proud and very fond of him. Here
is letter she sent home to her brother.
The words, if not the writing and SPELL
ing (she was only six years old), are
strictly her own:
" My DEAR BROTHER:
az hope you are we'll and enjoying your
self. 1 have new bird, Jim; papa named
him. He ia ugly. He is big. He has some
long legs stiff, and he jumps from perch to
perch. He is not quiet one single minute.
Papa bought a great big cage, which is all he
could live in the only size that would hold
him she means]. admire him better much
than all my pets. You see, she would not
acknowledge she loved him the best.l Mann
ma says 1 must give you their names. Jollie
is English lark Capt. Gardener brought to
me. He is sad to go home again. Punch
and Judy is two cardinals, and has red heads.
Faith, Hope and Charity, and Pride and
Prejudice Pide and Pejjidish, in Ruth's Ian
guage], which is canaries, and sings beauti-
full, in spite of Jim. Biiou is monkey mar
moset, who is cross and snaps, but he don't
come up to Dom Pedro, a rooster, who
lighted boy. 1 called my lovely mastiff
that came on the ship, Monsieur, and Tod
dies is sweet little Scotch terrier-oh 80
small Haven't got fine lot? Jim's cage
is grinded up to the top nights, SO that no
rats, nor cats, nor bieos will eat him up, and
he can whistle the Star Spangled Banner
that Ruth pronounced Tar Bangled Banner ,
and he can whistle and sing the greatest in
the world. Good bye. From your affection
ate little sister, 'RUTH MAYFIELD."
As Ruth stated, though perhaps you
did not quite understand what che meant,
we were so afraid lest any harm should
come to our Jim from biros Ga Brazilian
word. which means any kind OF hurtful
or despised thing, or animal, or insect),
we had his cage fastened to ropes in the
ceiling, and every night we lifted him
gently up by means of pulleys. One
night we heard fearful crash. We hur-
ried out into the room where Jim slept
and found that his cage had fallen clear
down to the hard tiled floor. Whether it
was that the rafters of the old house were
rotten and had given way, or whether the
rats gnawed the ropes, or indeed what
had caused the accident, we could never
! just tell. Certain it was that the cage
was PROSTATE and Jim, our brave, noble
singer, lay dead. The fall had broken
his neck.-H. E. MagJfeld, IN audubon
Magazine.